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Abstract
Water stress is one of the major limitations to the agricultural productivity around the globe, particularly in warm, arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), being a crop with medium water requirements, has the ability to tolerate a short period of drought. However, water stress in the soil as well as inside the plant influences various physiological and biochemical processes. This may inhibit plant growth, decrease developmental activities of the cells and tissues and cause a variety of morphological, physiological and biochemical modifications. Nitrogen (N) is one of the most important mineral nutrients because of its numerous effects on plant growth and yield. A number of fundamental processes such as water and nutrient uptake, protein metabolism, photosynthesis, carbon partitioning, and enzyme and plant hormonal activities are regulated by N. These responses result in profound changes in growth rate, net photosynthate production, plant development, and yield. It is well documented that nutrient uptake of plants is inhibited in dry soils and with expected nutrient deficiencies the normal functioning of the plants is affected. Different strategies are being practiced in the world to cope with the problem of nutrient deficiency under water stress. Nitrogen application either through soil or through foliar feeding is an important strategy to alleviate the adverse effect of drought. Supplemental application of N as foliar fertilization to soil-applied fertilization is important in situation where nutrient supply through soil is limited. Some of the relevant work available about the effect of water stress and nutrient availability in sunflower is reviewed in this paper.